Author: Letter Writer

Betsy was a remarkable person, who I was proud to call a dear friend. She made Brookline a remarkable place. Her energy, knowledge and terrific sense of humor will be missed by many, including me. We lost a great one when Betsy passed. Read the original article, Family, colleagues remember Betsy Shure Gross, activist and… Continue reading RE: Family, colleagues remember Betsy Shure Gross, activist and Olmsted advocate who helped revitalize Brookline’s parks

I often travel through the section of Route 9 with the experimental bus lanes and new markings for traffic. We don’t need six more months to determine that this is not working. People are confused about which lanes they need to use if they are turning and more often than not, they’re traveling in the… Continue reading RE: Are the bus lanes near Brookline Village working? Town, MBTA say they need six more months to find out

I loved the article about Buy Nothing Brookline! Madeline does a great job as the administrator. I personally have only had great experiences with this site. I love giving items, clothing, books and excessive magazines (for teachers etc.) This program is a win-win for our neighborhood, and makes Brookline a better place! Read the original… Continue reading RE: In ‘Buy Nothing’ Facebook groups, Brookline’s gift economy thrives

As a longtime resident (since 1983) of Griggs Road in Brookline, I’m writing to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Susan Schnur for adding her “whimsy” to the Griggs Road / Park community. I agree with her assessment that ours is a “very magical neighborhood” and that  “this little area is very precious.” I applaud… Continue reading RE: ‘The lost glove is happy’: A front yard lost-and-found exhibition added to the whimsy of Griggs Park

I am an American. My favorite teachers were: Francis X. Joubert, Rosemary Mitchell, Lucy Oulohojian, Leo Brennan, Christopher Collier, Harry Marx, Francis X. O’Brien. My least favorite teacher was: Richard DeCesare. Welcome to our multicultural homeland. Read the original article, In Brookline, 23% of students identify as Asian. Just 6% of their teachers do. The… Continue reading RE: In Brookline, 23% of students identify as Asian. Just 6% of their teachers do. The gap poses challenges for both.

This is very nice, I’m a musician and it’s good to hear a good songwriter gets her dues. It’s truly about time the story is told. May God bless her and may she rest in peace till Jesus comes, just like Mama Bessie wrote. Another wonderful song, “House of the Rising Sun,” we got a… Continue reading RE: Pennsylvania musician tracks down the headstone of America’s first female hit songwriter – in a Brookline shed

The idea of building an outdoor pool in Brookline must be coming from the same people who feel equally passionate about spending millions of taxpayer dollars in “re-imagining” the ice skating rink at Larz Anderson Park. Practically every issue of Brookline.News contains an article about one of two major issues that Brookline is grappling with:… Continue reading RE: Push for an outdoor pool in Brookline gains new momentum

“Why doesn’t Brookline have an outdoor community pool?” is frequent topic of conversation in our household as we drive to area beaches or other towns’ pools. We have a community ice rink and a community golf course, both of which serve a subset of the community far smaller than a pool would. We seem able… Continue reading RE: Push for an outdoor pool in Brookline gains new momentum

What can Brookline do to address the rat infestation? Last week, my husband was walking our dog on Beacon Street in Washington Square when I dead rat fell from the sky to the street. My husband saw the hawk who had dropped the rat. Luckily, the rat didn’t fall on him! My neighbors and I… Continue reading RE: Brookline’s fight against rats putting other wildlife at risk

An acquaintance was once arrested for minor shoplifting (her only crime ever after a lapse in judgment) and put in holding cell for hours in Brookline. No human checked on her in person and no one responded to her calls for attention to make a phone call. There were no people within hearing distance or… Continue reading RE: Explainer: How and why are people kept in custody at the Brookline police station after being arrested?

What a wonderful article! A truly remarkable man. With Trump and DOGE destroying medical research in America, we must rely on true patriots such as this gentleman and other philanthropists to fund vital and life-saving research. Read the original article, Meet the 91-year-old Brookline philanthropist and scientist on a quest to develop artificial blood

For the record: I am not an abutter. Our home is at the corner of Heath Street and Woodland Road —about 500’ from the site. Personally, I support allowing greater height in the redevelopment. I don’t support 12 stories— a height higher than any nearby building. This height needs to be located along Route 9… Continue reading RE: Developer of key Chestnut Hill site weighs residential 40B if commercial project talks falter

It is a sad indictment of our community that not one of our elected officials has made a statement condemning the bomb threat made against the Iris Hotel for raising a Palestinian flag. The silence in the face of this threat compared to the loud outcry and condemnations over the vandalism at The Butcherie makes… Continue reading RE: New York man charged with calling in bomb threats to Brookline hotel after it raised Palestinian flag

To Cliff Kensington, “starting the 40B process as a way for [you] to keep [your] options open” is a smart move! The phrase “what’s past is prologue” certainty applies here, in the Town of Brookline. Understanding Brookline’s past glacial  development efforts, or should I say disasters, will better enable you to predict what’s going to happen… Continue reading RE: Developer of key Chestnut Hill site weighs residential 40B if commercial project talks falter

I appreciate the upgrades to the Green Line platforms, but what about the roads in Brookline? It is downright dangerous to drive on the streets in town in the winter. The potholes and the need for repaving is long overdue. Let’s start with Pleasant Street, a more or less well-used road. It has been let… Continue reading RE: MBTA Green Line C Branch construction to begin this fall, bringing ADA upgrades and major disruptions to Beacon Street

When a hostile act (brick / window / Butcherie) occurs,  I instinctively ask myself “why, what was the motivation?” Below is a hypothesis that could be applied to why a brick was thrown at The Butcherie: “The frustration-aggression hypothesis is not that aggression automatically happens when someone is frustrated, but rather the aggressor is frustrated… Continue reading RE: Police investigating after brick marked “Free Palestine” thrown through window of Jewish grocery store

We were deeply troubled by the antisemitic attack at The Butcherie, as well as the response of some community members, particularly the growing tendency to treat anti-Zionism and antisemitism as entirely separate phenomena. While it’s true that not all criticism of Israeli policy is antisemitic, it’s equally true that rhetoric aimed at delegitimizing Zionism or… Continue reading RE: Police investigating after brick marked “Free Palestine” thrown through window of Jewish grocery store

What happened at the Butcherie is inexcusable! Since the masked perpetrators have not been identified, it is a possibility that the was a False Flag action as so many incendiary incidents have been including at many of the college encampments. Just a thought. Read the original article, Police investigating after brick marked “Free Palestine” thrown… Continue reading RE: Police investigating after brick marked “Free Palestine” thrown through window of Jewish grocery store

By the way. Trump won the election. Deal with it! Read the original article, Five state legislators outline strategy to counter Trump administration at Brookline forum

I have run into these Free “Palestine” people a few times. Once tearing down hostage postings on Harvard Street, once putting Palestine stuff above Israeli blue ribbons on Abbotsford and Gibbs (last week). That person yelled and screamed at me. Another time I saw all kinds of antisemitic stuff scrawled on a board on the… Continue reading RE: Police investigating after brick marked “Free Palestine” thrown through window of Jewish grocery store